Abandon
Paramount Pictures | Release Date: October 18, 2002 CRITIC SCORE DISTRIBUTION
36
METASCORE
Generally unfavorable reviews based on 26 Critic Reviews
Positive:
7
Mixed:
7
Negative:
12
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Critic Reviews

Critic scorePublicationBy date
75
Chicago TribuneMark Caro
The biggest surprise may be what the filmmaker doesn't show; he withholds a big dramatic payoff, so the audience must fill in the blanks. Read full review
75
Entertainment WeeklyBruce Fretts
Sometimes, typecasting works: Holmes and Bratt settle comfortably into their roles, and the movie proves a competently made, mildly diverting collegiate thriller -- at least until its all-too-predictable ''twist'' ending. Read full review
67
Seattle Post-IntelligencerEllen A. Kim
Holmes ably handles the starring role, but the handsome Bratt doesn't have enough material to cement his film career. The supporting cast is strong. Read full review
63
Chicago Sun-TimesRoger Ebert
A moody, effective thriller for about 80 percent of the way, and then our hands close on air. If you walk out before the ending, you'll think it's better than it is. Read full review
63
New York Daily NewsJack Mathews
Has the integrity of good dialogue and enough of a writer's preserved craftiness to make it a worthwhile date-night attraction. Read full review
63
Baltimore SunChris Kaltenbach
Abandon tags Katie Holmes as a talented actor with surprising range and vast, untapped potential - so much, in fact, that watching her, one can almost overlook the film's many flaws. Almost.
63
The Globe and Mail (Toronto)Rick Groen
Don't abandon Abandon. In the movies' long weekly line-up, it stands apart -- innocent of banality, and guilty of nothing more damning than intelligent effort that falls a tad short. Read full review
50
Miami HeraldRene Rodriguez
Too much of this well-acted but dangerously slow thriller feels like a preamble to a bigger, more complicated story, one that never materializes. Read full review
50
San Francisco ChronicleJonathan Curiel
A disjointed movie with uneven acting and too many scenes that defy belief. Read full review
40
The New York TimesA.O. Scott
A thriller wrapped in heavy-duty gauze to muffle the chills. Read full review
40
TV Guide MagazineKen Fox
The story's rhythm is so bogged down in unnecessary characterization that the film can hardly breathe. Read full review
40
L.A. WeeklyChuck Wilson
Aiming to elicit a last-minute shiver from the audience, Gaghan is likely to get instead a mood-destroying giggle. Read full review
40
Village VoiceEd Park
Hardly a nuanced portrait of a young woman's breakdown, the film nevertheless works up a few scares, particularly a tense call-number hunt in the library stacks. Read full review
40
The A.V. ClubNathan Rabin
Gaghan shows promise as a director, but Abandon leaves a lot of room for improvement. Read full review
38
USA TodayMike Clark
Holmes, of Dawson's Creek, will be up the creek if she can't avoid movies like this. And so will you if you see it. Read full review
38
Boston GlobeTy Burr
Abandon is this CLOSE to being good, juicy, bad-movie fun. Read full review
38
ReelViewsJames Berardinelli
With the flat characters and lifeless performances, it's a wonder that anyone in the audience can stay awake all the way through this dull and dreary production. Read full review
33
Portland OregonianKim Morgan
Has a few pleasing stylistic flourishes and a potentially Hitchcockian plot, but the writing and rhythm are so off that when the final "shocker" arrives, we have seen it coming or have abandoned caring.
30
Los Angeles TimesKevin Thomas
A trite psychological thriller -- all buildup and no payoff, a mystery that essentially offers only two alternative solutions, which diminishes the element of surprise and strings the viewer along way past caring which possibility proves to be true. Read full review
30
Rolling StonePeter Travers
Crossing "A Beautiful Mind" with "Sex Kittens Go to College," first-time director Stephen Gaghan (he wrote Traffic) causes a head-on collision. Read full review
30
VarietyTodd McCarthy
Passably interesting psychological study of emotionally wounded characters until it commits dramatic suicide by showing its true colors as a tricked-up "Fatal Attraction" wannabe. Read full review
30
Austin ChronicleSteve Davis
What hath "The Sixth Sense" wrought? These days, it seems as if every psychological thriller has a surprise finish. Read full review
30
SalonCharles Taylor
This alleged thriller, which might be described as "'Gaslight' Goes to College," is one of the most incoherent features in recent memory. Read full review
20
Chicago ReaderJ.R. Jones
Stephen Gaghan, who scripted this turkey, landed in the director's chair after Edward Zwick (Glory) bailed out, and you can almost smell the flop sweat. Read full review
12
New York PostMegan Lehmann
A confusing mishmash. Read full review
10
Washington PostDesson Thomson
Consider the title your best advice. Read full review
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